Way of the Blog

I watched the Fiziks video Masters of Delusion this evening and it got me thinking of the good ol days when frames cost mad loot and they were worth it.

Brian was a notorious destroyer of skate hardware. Notorious B.A.W. if you will. Boots would crack, frames would snap, bearings would seize, and wheels would melt when attached to his feet. Then Fiziks were born. I was the first to make the jump after a brief flat rocker hiatus. A short stint skating anti rocker that introduced me to the decoring wheel process convinced me I needed to skate flat again and it needed to work well.

Fiziks were amazing right away. Stable and responsive when rolling and “who needs wax” when grinding. Pairing them with my O.U.T. Remedyz was a fantastic partnership. (Still my best setup to date) I was sold, and I wanted to share the joy with my rollerbrothers. I knew Brian’s hardware history, so I knew this would be the test of tests for the frames that provided “suspension in the rollerblades!?” If you’re feeling the suspense right now, let me end it by saying that first pair of Fiziks lasted Brian 4 years.

Four years of vicious no regrets Brian-blading. Brian is happily rolling his second pair of Fiziks on his first and only pair of Xsjado DL’s; another miracle. He has skated them for 7 years now, and there’s no sign of him stopping. The straps are a bit tattered but still hold his product smashing feet in check. I blessed him with my UHMW Night souls for Xsjados, which will last until the whole world is skate stopped.

Now, if someone could make a wheel that can stand up to the punishment of my dear friend, the world would be better place for all of us.

For related Fiziks stories, click HERE.

It’s rather ironic that I’ve only began producing content, yet I’m already diverting from the sites focus. Sorry to those only visiting for topics of the rollerblading variety!

Mountain biking has quickly become a rather small addiction of mine. Combining my passion of wheeled devices with an innate calling to nature, I’ve found biking to be a massively entertaining alternative to hobbies of years passed. As with all action sports, you’ve got your various flavors… styles, set-ups, locations, and the focus of this entry, media.

My most recent purchase off Amazon was a DVD titled “Life Cycles.” It’s hard to pass up a viewer review that claims it to be the new standard for which action sports films will be measured. After some chatter back & forth with everyone’s favorite skate mom, mom laid down the challenge of creating a review.

I won’t delve into the great depth of the creation, but the producers certainly took a different approach. I’d imagine if I had the chance to create another “Represent,” it would share similar characteristics (if I had the skills, knowledge, & equipment that is). Everyone has seen the videos with super gnarly drops, spins, and carnage… this video does not align with those traditional styles. This video was created as an artistic expression. I’ll admit I needed to watch it more than once to get a better understanding of my opinion… initially unimpressed with the riding, but in awe of the visual experience. Although a host of modern day rippers are seen flowing descents, this video is not one that makes you itch to ride. But after watching it the 2^nd, and eventually 3^rd time, I was able to appreciate the motives of the maker. Extensive thought went into often ignored aspects such as filming perspectives, visual effects, terrain, and the often dreaded, ever-changing environmental factors that high elevations are subjected to.

This video is a work of art. It would not be out of place in your local art gallery or a museum catering to all things aesthetically pleasing to the eye. By now you may have caught drift that I am in disagreement with those labeling the new standard; however, it’s only a result of the producers failing to showcase how mind boggling mountain biking has become. Riders are steezed & flow to the fullest, but take in some of the lines run in last year’s Red Bull Rampage and you’ll understand my point.

Not quite 5 stars, but about as close as it will come missing out.  “Follow Me” was a bit more my flavor… so watch both!

It’s a daunting task sometimes… peering at a blank canvas that is a fresh page in your sketchbook. At times it leaves you with no direction, no motivation, no assurance as to whether or not the product you produce is worthy of its texture. The longer you stare at it, think about the possible slips, the heavier the pen feels in your grasp. I’ve felt the weight in recent months to produce at least one composition for this site. One almost seems like a slap in the face to rollerblading. I’ll start with one… we’ll see what else arrives.

Our little piece of the massive collaboration that is the internet has faded as of late, much like our crew and the skate sessions that were regularly part of our lives for 15+ years. I owe a great depth of gratitude towards the many pairs of skates that I have had the pleasure of exploring and the friends that shared those experiences. Wayoftheboot.com cannot come close to encapsulating our journey, but it certainly pays tribute to some of the greatness that happened. So as I begin to stain this page with the only Bic accounted for on my desk, I breathe uncomfortably knowing that this blank sheet represents every epic skate spot we rolled… Heavens, UMass, Summerhour. Whichever direction we went, angle we approached, degree we spun, rail or ledge we slid… with completion came gratification. We painted those spots with our 8 wheels for our own reasons… excitement, friendship, therapy! As my approach to skating, I will allow my hand to pen my thoughts whenever, however, and wherever they arrive.

1^st post complete… thanks to the wet legged ninja and cake mixing madre for  carrying the weight!!!

My man adds powerblading in to the mix.

Skates, check. Skate tools, check. Liquids, check. Skatepile gear, check. Orange slices, check. Hold up… orange slices? That’s right! I didn’t stutter. A skate mom has to pack a delicious and nutritious treat to keep energy levels high for the Vitamin C dance. Every crew needs one, but few are lucky enough to have a genuine “Skate Mom.”

Enter Mark Catelotti. He’s been skating since the majority of us shuffled around in huggies with scuffed knees. Mark was exposed to the scene when skating still had that “brand new” smell. Stair rides were in, savannahs hadn’t come to fruition, negative still meant unfavorable, and Daily Bread had no significance to the Catholic church. I don’t know many who would openly admit to being referred to as “Skate Mom,” but he wears that shit like a badge of honor. And he should!

Rolling has suffered in recent years. Crews are fading, companies dying, but Mark is still going strong. Don’t tell him he’s 33, cause he’ll roll off only to pull some of the most creative, technical, redunkulous, k-nar tricks you’ve seen, on things you’ve never even considered a skateable piece. I guess that’s what being well traveled and well cultured will get you; an eye for the unusual, and an extremely angry personality. In the pursuit for perfection, “Mom” has had his let downs; his fair share of rainy days. However, as I say far too often, in the wise words of Joe Dirt, “life’s a garden, dig it… gotta keep on keeping on.” And keep on he has, turning life’s frustration into magic on wheels. His return from the A is seen as a a negative thing in his eyes, but was vital for our progression. His presence makes us better skaters… better people. Skate Mom has the ability to form our eclectic crew into a family, as only a mom knows how.

-Brian White

I’m so excited to see this video. I can’t wait to see this whole section and all the homies involved.

Allan Beauliea is back with more parkour blading fun.

I am totally blown away by this performance. The new Radiohead album can’t come soon enough.

The rollerblader in me finally started to kick in, because I slept past 8am. My ass was fully in drag mode, and it took me a while to get up and get ready. I watched On Top with Wayne, and then got my doo doo together. After wrapping up my affairs, I hugged my brother and thanked him for his hospitality. Thank you again Wayne, you are the the illest ninja. See you in August.

I burned down the Ave and pointed the whip at Richard and Nicole’s residence. We watched the end of a movie and then set out on a shopping adventure. The thrift store provided some bargain deals to repurpose, and then we went to the Dekalb County Farmer’s Market. It is a World Market, which I had not heard of before. Let me inform you in case you were unaware: World Market is crazy awesome. It’s a gigantor building full of delicious fruits and vegetables, as well as all the fresh animal products you would ever care to enjoy. I have a good amount of food shopping options in my part of the world, but I wouldn’t mind having a World Market to skip happily through as well.

The Way of the Boot Foundation paid for a variety of consumables, and we returned to the apartment to sample the items corralled by our taste desires. The clock told me it was time to head south to the fly fly station, so I hugged two wonderful Atliens and said goodbye. The rental Altima had served me well, but I was glad to be free of it’s depressing American assembled interior.

The ATL Skytrain drove me to the airport, and I checked my luggage with my friends at Airtran. I walked by the place in the atrium at the airport where we slept that time. Thankfully I haven’t had to sleep there since. The security checkpoint was no issue because I’m a pro at this point. I got a big ass smoothie for dinner and all but mainlined that shit in to my body. Fantastico.

I was able to watch a couple of minutes of the Celtics/Magic game before getting on the plane. Once aboard, I didn’t turn my music on until they said to turn it off. Rebel! I slept for about an hour after takeoff until the little kid right behind my seat started crying and kicking my seat. This went on for the remaining hour of the flight. It was more funny than completely annoying because it was such a ridiculous display of parenting. I knew I should have packed my Wrap it Up box.

The plane ceased to be in the air, and I made it back to my bedroom. I was high off of the good one shouldered times I had, so it took me a while to fade in to the night.

Thanks to everyone that made my time there so much fun. I hope to see you all again soon.

I still was up hours before Wayne, so it was back to the living room for reading and breakfast activities. Today would have been my first session at Brook Run, oh well maybe next time. A car full of wonderful ladies showed up with food and drink, and we packed all of our gear in to the Altima and headed down the road.

It was hot and sunny and also hot at the park. Wayne got some tricks going, and after a while Richard showed up. I taped Wayne and Richard make magic with boots on for as long as we could all stand the heat. The footage will make the next very long awaited episode of This Month for sure.

We travelled back to Wayne’s and then I went off to stab some vegetables for dinner while Wayne went to dinner with Allie and her family. With time to kill, I went and watched the new Robin Hood. It was a serious take on the story, which made it not as good as the Kevin Costner version. K-Cost doesn’t even bother with the English accent, that’s how gangster he is.

I removed myself from the theater, and came home to hang out with Wayne, Allie, Salsa, and Chips. They are four of the greatest living room companions without doubt. Wayne took Allie home in late in the evening, and I passed out to Chappelle’s Show like a grown boy should.

A mixture of routine, pain, and cold temperature (AC) woke me early. I ate breakfast, added medication to my body, and finished watching the movie that played during my slumber the night before. Richard woke up and we hung out until Wayne called to plan my return to his location. I said goodbye to Richard and we planned to hang out at Brook Run the following day.

I made it back to Wayne’s and took a nice one armed shower. By the time I was done Allie & Laura had arrived, and it was off to the mall for some good ol’ fashioned American shopping. We walked through a sea of people browsing in the plethora of shoe or hat stores, grabbed some lunch, and made leave of the human hive of activity so everyone could go to work.

Since there was no work to be had for her, and the Celtics game didn’t start until 8:30, I went to check out Macgruber. I never thought the SNL sketch was too funny, but the movie is crazy and out of control, and I thought it was really funny. After the movie there was still some time to kill, so I peeked in on Iron Man 2 for a bit. I sat up front and interrupted a very young couple’s privacy by sitting in the same row. They moved to the front row and got more “comfortable.” The young lady in question was quite comfortable resting her head face down in the young man’s lap, then picking it up and resting it down again. So I got to watch part of Iron Man 2 again, and I got to watch a little live sodomy for free too. After a while the human concept of time told me it was time I made my way to Taco Mac for food and televised basketball.

At Taco Mac I found a good plant based meal, watched the Celtics smoke the Magic for three quarters from the bar, and talked to some nice folk from Petco. Wayne and Allie showed up and I sat with them for dinner and the rest of the game. Post game we retreated to the homeland, where I rapidly passed out.

Wayne gave up his bed because he’s the man and he said I’m too old to sleep on the floor. My body woke me fairly early, so I adjourned to the living room to read the book I brought.

Wayne woke up and we gathered our gear and headed out to find lunch. Chipotle put ingredients in our stomachs and it was off to spot #1. Duncan Creek skatepark was my request, and we were in the parking lot by 12:25pm on a sunny Friday. I called Robo Leg to tell him the horse neck said hello, and Wayne and I rolled in to the park.

Wayne started things off with a quick line and then I dropped in to one of the bowls to carve it up. My rhythm was off for sure, but I was excited to be there and I wasn’t going to stop. I dropped in to another bowl and experienced the same off balance wildness. I have brand new Face wheels and they are fast, but I can only blame myself for dropping in again.

I picked a bad line around the corner of the bowl and lost it on the third wall, which caused my shoulder to meet the wall hard. I knew it was bad news right away, I don’t slam that hard too often.

I couldn’t lift my arm so I figured I either broke or dislocated my shoulder. I felt like I was going to make burrito exit from my mouth hole, so I took my helmet off and sat down. Wayne dropped in to help me take my skates off and get out of the bowl. We were on our way to the hospital by 12:30pm.

We checked in at he ER and waited for my turn. Chappelle quotes distracted me from what I feared would soon be a painful future, and after a short time my name was called.

Blue scrubs Kim sat me down and took my blood pressure, measured my heart rate and took my temperature all with the same device. I had bright red pants on, and I joked that before I fell they were blue. I explained what happened and she asked how much I could move my arm. I demonstrated and she said we would be making a trip to X-Ray.

She walked me down and I was brought in to the human microwave by red scrubs Kim. She checked the info on my bracelet and then asked me what my birth date was. I initially thought this was a test for brain damage or something, but now I think she just didn’t believe I was 32. She positioned me in front of the heat ray and captured the necessary images. I made some lame flirty comment about our pants matching and she smiled and appeared to enjoy my attempt at humor. Note to self; flirting is easier when you’re injured. Red scrubs Kim walked me to the waiting room, and said that the images were already being reviewed by the doctor. Thanks
digital world.

I was called back in to see the doctor, who said no broken bones were visible and my shoulder was not dislocated either. She said that there was a possible hairline fracture on my collar bone, but that’s it. I still didn’t know why I was in pain so I lightheartedly asked, “so there’s nothing wrong with the cables in there or anything?” to which she replied, matter-of-factly, “There’s no cables in your shoulder.” Damn son, cold blooded.

Wayne and I were moved to a hallway so I could fill out forms and then a deceased ex-President stopped by with more info for me. He said I most likely sprained my shoulder and he gave me a prescription for something I had never heard of. I asked for an over the counter alternative and was told ibuprofen would retard the inflammation I was experiencing.

I was fitted for an uncomfortable ass sling, charged $75, and sent on my way. Wayne whipped the Altima back to his place where I began to live with one arm. He had to get ready for work, so I packed some stuff up and called Richard to coordinate arrival and couch crashing session at his place. He was just getting out of work so I got on the highway to head the same way as him.

I magically spotted his car in traffic and started following right behind him. I knew he wouldn’t notice me so I pulled along side him to get his attention. After viewing his surprised smile, I got back in line to follow him the rest of the way.

We rolled in to his parking lot and gingerly embraced, thanks to my cable-free shoulder. Richard gave me the in-person version of his apartment tour and we settled in the living room.

After catching up on life and viewing some DVD entertainment, we ventured out to visit Richard’s girlfriend Nicole a work. Nicole is a cool human and it was nice to see her out doing her thing on the good-food service tip. From Nicole’s place of business Richard and I went searching for a food buying location that would suit my body’s needs. We bought snacks and breakfast items and returned to home base.

More movie watching went down and then Carson Starnes stopped by with a fresh haircut, complete with rat tail. Carson is hilarious like Nick Cannon. We talked for a while and I thought it was funny that he and everyone else he asked couldn’t remember when they held the last contest at his house. Guess he should have asked me.

Carson had to go so we planned to meet up at Brook Run on Sunday. Nicole got home from work soon after that, packed up for her weekend getaway, and was off. I found a mildly comfortable position on the couch (not the furniture’s fault) and pressed the pass out button inside my head. Sleep appeared rapidly, it was a long day.

Here I go again on my own. It’s been 9 months since my last journey to “the hub ATL” and many things have changed for me. I have a new job that doesn’t make me want to be dead. I changed my consumption patterns and only eat plants now. I have less right ankle use than I did last time I visited. One thing remains the same though: my desire to be where the dirt is red and my family is standing on that dirt smiling and welcoming me back. That, and the forecast says it’s going
to rain the whole time I’m there.

This is my least planned trip since my tenure as Skate Mom began. I packed last night, which is unheard of, and I packed pretty light. I wasn’t even close to the weight limit, and they should reward that with a discounted fee. Skater haters.

It’s 5:25pm on Thursday May 20th and my plane should start boarding soon. I’ll be meeting my friends at Hertz around 9:30pm and they’ll give me a car to use until Monday night. I reserved a cheap eco-whip, but we’ll see what my crazy brain decides to get when I’m standing at the counter. The future is unwritten. Or not.

Wayne & Richard will be my primary targets upon arrival. It will be good to see them again and I have well-wishings for them from the rest of the Masshole clan.

To prove to me that my trip planning abilities were weak this time out, the Starnes’ contest Boot Burgers and Hammers is the weekend after I leave. Bummer but I’ll roll with them anyway.

It’s almost time for Radiohead to pour in to my head against regulations while the plane is ascending. Either sleep or fake sleep will make this a reality. I will tune back in once I’m free of this travel process.

No sleep was to be found on the plane. We human sky can riders had to wait a while for lift off, and I spent the waiting period reading a book about how humanity limits itself with the creation of the smallest rules. Well, that’s all I’ve gotten out of it so far.

An announcement was made once we were airborne that stated the plane’s on board wifi was free, so I jumped at the chance to be able to IM Puddles and talk about farts. Ain’t technology grand?

Radiohead + fake sleeping = another successful avoidance of flight regulation.

At one point in the flight I was trying to sleep, and I thought the plane hit something. It did. It’s called the runway. I knew we were descending but I wasn’t paying close enough attention.

My empty stomach was filled by Moes, and my ride on the new ATL skytrain was an interesting change from the last time I visited. Hertz directed me to the spot where an Altima was parked, and I was on my way North.

It’s good to be back. There’s something in the air here that just fits. Hugging Wayne and Allie was a great way to end the day. Weather pending we shall skate on Day 2.

We’re back with another installment of fun spread across the same skatepark. Puddles shares his un-boxing and first thoughts on the new Rollerblade Solo Tribe 2, and I wear pants.

This has to be one of the coolest videos I’ve randomly ended up on in recent past. It made me go through a range of reactions pretty quickly and over all its a great short. CHECK IT OUT:

Homunculus from HUMBLE TV on Vimeo.

I haven’t watched the other videos on this channel YET but I will be.

**update** The other videos on the channel are music videos they did for 2 semi popular bands… not as good as the short but still neat animations.

After watching this, I have no choice but to get in to this show.

Last month’s This Month which got posted today. Yea.